Israeli sprinter Blessing Afrifa defended his European U23 title in the 200 meters Saturday night, capturing gold for the second consecutive championship with a time of 20.64 seconds.
The 21-year-old edged out Italy’s Damiano Dentato, who finished second in 20.69 seconds, and Spain’s Jaime Sancho, who took bronze with 20.76 seconds. Afrifa had qualified for the final earlier in the day by winning his heat in 20.29 seconds.
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Afrifa (center) alongside Italy’s Damiano Dentato and Spain’s Jaime Sancho
(Photo: Israeli Athletics Association)
Afrifa first won the European U23 title last year in Finland, clocking 20.67 seconds—just one hundredth of a second ahead of Dutch runner Raphael Bouju.
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The young sprinter made headlines in 2022 when, at just 18, he stunned the track world by winning the World Athletics U20 Championships in Colombia. There, he clocked a blistering 19.96 seconds—a new U20 championship record, a new Israeli national record, and just the fourth time in history that a runner under 20 had broken the 20-second barrier in the 200 meters, joining the likes of Usain Bolt.